Christmas joys

The first "joy" is that I'm sick. Yup. Good old flu. I had a bug last week, for less than 24hrs, but it was obviously still in my system. (The other option is that whatever Nellie had over the weekend I've caught.)

Yesterday, I was driving around doing business stuff in 30 degree heat, and got a bit dehydrated, and then WHAM! by the time I got home had a sore throat, swollen glands, etc, etc. I've slept most of today away (which is not easy in temperatures above 30 degrees), but am still feeling fragile.

However, a real joy has been decorating the Christmas tree. It's been fun having a real tree again, even a pathetic pine. This morning, while I was lying on the couch watching telly with G and J, she walked up to the tree, turned to me and said, "It's Christmas, Mommy." Ahh! I know we've done a rotten job of teaching what that really means, but then, we're doing a rotten job of being good Christian parents at the moment. Maybe next year...

Another 'joy' has been watching Nellie develop independence in her swimming (photos on her blog). Graeme's mom found an old swimming ring she had, and Nellie loves it! We tried the arm bands route, but that didn't go down very well, so this is the perfect alternative. Now she can jump in by herself and swim by herself (under our supervision, of course), and she just loves it. I love seeing her so happy and relaxed and confident. It brings such joy to my heart!